Brett Brown had a debut season unlike any other head coach, suffering through a 26-game losing streak and 19-63 record. / Jeremy Brevard, USA TODAY Sports

by Jason Wolf, USA TODAY Sports

by Jason Wolf, USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA - After dealing away their best player last summer, gutting most of the rest of the roster at the trade deadline and staggering through one of the worst losing streaks in the history of major North American professional sports, Philadelphia 76ers managing owner Josh Harris is more than satisfied with his team's season.

"I think the season has been a huge success for us," Harris said Friday at the team's practice facility at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, just two days after the 76ers finished with a 19-63 record, the second-worst mark in the NBA. "Obviously, I don't like to lose. In terms of having to live through a losing season, it's tough. It was incredibly fun to take down the Bulls (in the first round of the 2012 playoffs) my first year, when we were seeded eighth and they were seeded first.

"And I want to be back in the playoffs and I want this team competing for the championship, and that's kind of what we're trying to do, but obviously to do that, to get to that point where you're an elite team for a long period of time, there's no shortcuts. We came into the season knowing that it would be a long season, that we were going to be putting building blocks in place."

And they have done so. Since this time last season, the 76ers hired president and general manager Sam Hinkie, CEO Scott O'Neil and coach Brett Brown, all of whom Harris believes are doing exemplary work.

They shipped All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for rookie center Nerlens Noel, the presumptive top overall draft pick in 2013 until tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during his freshman season at Kentucky, which sidelined him for his first season as a pro. They also received a 2014 first-round draft pick, likely the 10th overall, to pair with their own high pick in this summer's talent-rich draft.

"I thought that was a very shrewd, long-term move," Harris said.

The 76ers also drafted point guard Michael Carter-Williams, the favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, with the 11th overall pick last summer. On Friday he was named the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for April, the fourth time in six months he's received the honor.

In addition to the two likely first-round lottery picks, the 76ers have five second-round selections in the June 26 draft. They have a 19.9% chance of receiving the No. 1 overall pick, and are guaranteed one of the top five. They'll learn the exact draft order at the NBA draft lottery on May 20.

But the 76ers' methods have been called into question.

When asked about tanking the season, Harris said "we don't use that word."

"We played every game to win and this is where we finished," he said. "It's a very deep draft. I think we're in great shape. ... We don't want to be 41-41. We don't want to be one-and-done (in the playoffs). That's not what we want as an ownership group. We want this city to be proud of the Sixers. And we want to be proud of the Sixers. And we want this to be an elite team that's competing year-in and year-out for a championship. And we looked at our ability to do that, having finished with 35 wins (in the 2011-12 season and 34 in 2012-13), and we said, 'It's a long road without a rebuilding process.' That's what led us to the current process."

Pressed further about the issue of institutional tanking, or purposefully losing games to earn a higher draft pick by constructing a roster incapable of playing competitive basketball, and the perception of tanking as a viable strategy for middling NBA teams, Harris demurred, even though the apparent trend has prompted discussion in league circles about altering the way draft picks are awarded.

"We're not out to lose. We're out to win every game," Harris said. "But it depends. Our goal is, as I've stated, to be an elite team, so in order to get from here to there, sometimes you need to develop players, go with younger players. There are decisions that you make."

Harris gave a cheery assessment of the state of the NBA as a whole.

"I think that the league is in great shape right now," he said. "I think that attendance is very high. There's a lot of parity in the league. I don't think there's a negative perception of this league right now. I think that there's a real positive perception of this league. Ratings are up. I think the transition between (former commissioner) David (Stern) and Adam (Silver) has gone quite well. I don't think that's an issue that's really a significant issue."

In addition to the big pieces put in place, the 76ers also accumulated a wealth of second-round draft picks this season, both for use this summer and in future years, in a series of deals at the trade deadline that wiped former No. 2 overall pick Evan Turner, starting center Spencer Hawes and reserve forward Lavoy Allen off the roster.

"Sam is a very thorough guy and a very thoughtful person, and he ran a very, very in-depth, thoughtful process," Harris said. "We evaluated every single option, (had) multiple conversations, and so we were satisfied with the result of what happened during the trade deadline. It was all part of the bigger plan."

The 76ers also put an NBA Development League team in Newark, Del., the Delaware 87ers.

And they have a state-of-the art practice facility in the works at a site to be determined and likely expected to open in time for the 2016-17 season, Harris said.

"(We) hopefully expect to announce something this summer," Harris said. "Like everything else we do, we're trying to do it in the right way, for the long run, so some alternatives have developed (other than at the Philadelphia Navy Yard)."

Harris, who also owns the NHL's New Jersey Devils and is co-founder of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, which reportedly handled more than $114 billion in assets last year, said he has no intention to sell the 76ers. The Milwaukee Bucks, the only team to finish with a worse record than the 76ers this season, were sold this week for $550 million.

A group led by Harris purchased the 76ers for $287 million in 2011. As of January, according to Forbes, the team is worth $469 million.

"Clearly, this has been a successful investment so far for the ownership group," Harris said, "but the reality of it is, I don't expect we're going to sell this investment for a long time. ... We're building this thing for the long run."

Harris said all the losing this season was difficult, particularly the NBA record-tying 26-game skid that spanned two months and turned the 76ers into a national laughingstock, providing fodder for late night television.

"I threw things. I turned off the TV. I tried to ignore it," Harris said. "It was a little hard to ignore. Emotionally, it was very difficult. I don't like to lose. I don't like to live through a season like this. It's not fun. It's not why I bought the team. So it was very, very hard emotionally.

"Everyone's had ups and downs in their business career. In every business, you put in place a strategic plan. Sometimes it takes three years. Sometimes it takes five years. Sometime it takes longer than that," Harris continued. "This is a unique business. What we've done here is very similar to what we've done in every other business, which is you pick the right people, you sit around the table and you come up with the absolute best way to achieve your strategic goals, which as we've said over and over is to compete consistently for an NBA championship, to be an elite team in this league, and then you get everyone to buy into that plan and go execute it. And I think everyone is on the same page in this organization."

Jason Wolf covers the NBA for The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., a Gannett affiliate.